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William Purdom (1880-1921) Papers, 1909-1912: Guide

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William Purdom (1880-1921) Papers, 1909-1912: Guide Archives III WP William Purdom (1880-1921) papers, 1909-1912: Guide. Harvard University © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College III WP William Purdom (1880-1921) papers, 1909- 1912: Guide Archives of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College Descriptive Summary Repository: Archives of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University Call No.: III WP Location: Archives Title: William Purdom (1880-1921) papers, 1909-1912. Date(s): 1909-1912 Creator: Purdom, William, 1880-1921 Quantity: 1 linear foot Abstract: Compiled by plant explorer William Purdom, this collection consists primarily of correspondence. There are some photographs and documents relating to expedition expenses. Purdom was dispatched to Asia to collect plants for the first time by C. S. Sargent in 1909. Though he would return to Asia later, this collection is comprised of materials dating from 1909-1912. Note: Access to Finding Aid record in HOLLIS. Preferred Citation: William Purdom papers. Archives of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Additional Material: Additional William Purdom correspondence may be available in the Arnold Arboretum Correspondence Database. See a sample of the specimens collected by Purdom in the Harvard University Herbaria Index of Botanical Specimens. Acquisition Information Provenance: This collection was created by William Purdom and acquired by the Arnold Arboretum during and after his trip to China. The collection was transferred from the Arboretum’s departmental holdings to the Arboretum’s Archives in 1986 when the Archives was established. Processing Information: 2007, Lisa Pearson. Revised August 2011, Liz Francis Terms of Access Researchers seeking to examine archival materials are strongly encouraged to make an appointment. The Director, or an office of origin, may place restrictions on the use of some or all of its records. The extent and length of the restriction will be determined by the Director, office of origin, and the Archivist and will be enforced equally for all researchers. Terms of Use The copyright is held by The President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Arnold Arboretum Archives of Harvard University. The copyright on some materials in the collection may be held by the original author or the author's heirs or assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission III WP Page 2 of 14 from the holder(s) of copyright and the Arnold Arboretum Archives prior to publishing any quotations or images from materials in this collection. Photocopies may be made at the discretion of the Arnold Arboretum Archives staff. Permission to make photocopies does not constitute permission to reproduce or publish materials outside the bounds of the fair use guidelines. Biographical Note William Purdom was born in Heversham, Westmoreland, England on April 10, 1880. His early horticultural training began at Brathay Hall Gardens, Ambleside, Cumbria where his father, William, held the position of head gardener. Purdom then worked at the 19th-century nurserymen Low & Sons in Enfield and later for James Veitch (1868-1907) at Coombe Wood, Kingston, Surrey, the original site of the Veitch family’s famous nursery. In 1902, Purdom became a sub-foreman of the Arboretum Nurseries at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and in 1905 enrolled at Kew as a two-year student. In 1909, Charles Sprague Sargent (1841- 1927) the Director of the Arnold Arboretum, was intent on having as many plant collectors as possible engaged in exploring China’s flora. With the Arboretum’s primary explorer, Ernest Henry Wilson (1876-1930), about to return from southern China and an agreement in place with David Fairchild, Chairman of the Foreign Plant Introduction Section of the USDA, stating that the ornamental plants collected by Frank Meyer (1875-1918) would be shared with the Arboretum, Sargent was eager to dispatch yet another collector to the largely unexplored northeastern provinces of China. William Purdom, whom Sargent had only met early in 1909, embarked on his first plant expedition in February of that year. Sargent’s goal for the young Purdom, the most Purdom disguised as Chinese inexperienced of Arboretum explorers, was to coolie. c1911 “bring into our gardens Chinese plants from regions with climates even more severe than those of New England.” The Veitch Nursery cosponsored the 1909-1912 Purdom expedition as they had the first of Wilson’s for the Arboretum. Although Purdom’s expedition did not measure up to the successful exploits of Wilson in numbers of new plant introductions, in 1913 a new Rhododendron, Rhododendron purdomii, was named after him by Alfred Rehder and E. H. Wilson. Purdom did collect seeds and herbarium specimens of many plants and he did take a substantial number of photographs. While he often recorded individual plants, he favored wide vistas of the mountains and valleys of China. Purdom was also interested in the anthropological and ethnographical aspects of the regions he visited, and took many close-up shots of the people he encountered, documenting their dress and their hairstyles. Especially noteworthy is his series of images capturing the “devil dancing” at the now-destroyed monastery in Chone. III WP Page 3 of 14 Purdom’s collection techniques improved and he is now respected for his later success in China with Reginald Farrer (1880-1920) with whom he collected and introduced many new alpine plants. However, his quiet demeanor was again overshadowed by another’s energetic personality. Unlike Purdom, but like Wilson, Farrer was also a prodigious author eager to share his exploits. In his books, On the Eaves of the World: A Botanical “Devil dancing” at Chone. July, 1911 Exploration of the Borders of China and Tibet (1917) and The Rainbow Bridge (1921), Farrer recounts the adventures of the Kansu Purdom and Farrer expedition of 1914-15. At the conclusion of the expedition in 1912, Purdom remained in China while Farrer returned to England to work under John Buchan in the Department of Information. That same year the Chinese government established a Forest Service. Nang Han returned from his studies at Cornell University to be China's senior secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce and co- director of the Chinese Forest Service. Forsythe Sherfesee, from the United States, served as the other the co-director of the Service, and William Purdom became a division chief within the service. In addition to his other duties Purdom established tree nurseries to aid in the reforestation of China. In “The House of Veitch” (2002) Shirley Heriz-Smith recounts this era of Purdom’s career: “He was asked to organize a tree planting programme for the Chinese railway and spent much of his time living in a converted railway carriage in remote places. It is said that he established a particularly flourishing forestry station at Kin Han (Isah?) in southern China.” Following a minor operation, Purdom died at the French hospital in Beijing on November 7, 1921. Scope and Content This collection contains photographs, correspondence, and financial statements from Purdom’s expeditions. 173 images of eastern Asia, taken from 1909-1912, have been digitized and are available on VIA. Arrangement The Purdom collection is organized in six series: Series I: Biographic Material and Portrait of William Purdom Series II: Correspondence to Charles Sprague Sargent Series III: Correspondence to James Veitch Series IV: Correspondence from Charles Sprague Sargent to William Purdom Series V: “Technicalities of the Purdom Expedition” (itinerary and itemized expenses) Series VI: Images III WP Page 4 of 14 Container List Series I: Biographic Material and Portrait of William Purdom Box 1 Folder 1. Portrait from Eaves of the World by Reginald Farrer. Vol. II, 1917, p. 255. 2 copies. 2. Secondary Reference Materials about William Purdom, assembled by Arnold Arboretum Staff, copied from various publications, including The Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 3. Presant, O.V. A Perfect Friend : The Life of Cumbrian Plant Hunter William Purdom. [S.l.] : Hayloft Publishing, 2019. 4. Watt, Alistair, and Seamus O'Brien. Purdom and Farrer : Plant Hunters on the Eaves of China. [Place of Publication Not Identified]: Published by the Author, 2019. HOLLIS. 5. Gordon, Francois. William Purdom : Agitator, Plant-hunter, Forester. Edinburgh: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2021. HOLLIS. Series II: Correspondence to Charles Sprague Sargent Box 1 Folder 1. Aston House, Shanghai (March 26, 1909). WP describes the journey over, and says Wilson lent him $200 as he was short of money. 2. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Peking (April 1, 1909). Has arrived in Peking, and will call on Mr. Rockhill and Sir John Jordan. 3. British Legation, Peking, North China (May 2, 1909). Glad to be leaving Peking for Jehol soon; will send some local poplars when he returns to the area. WP went with Col. Anderson to Huailai fu and hopes to return there in autumn to collect. 4. Jehol (May 11, 1909). Arrived in Jehol after a difficult trip. He has noticed salix, poplars, rhododendron, acer, and oaks. Will collect them on his way down. 5. Weichang (May 18, 1909). Says Sargent is right; the Imperial Hunting Grounds are becoming devastated. There are stumps of trees but almost no fair-sized ones. 6. Liangpa-fu (June 18, 1909). Collected pinus, picea, larix, and tilia, betula, and is sending a box of cones. Mentions anemone, a peony, geranium. More about local deforestation. Purdom to Sargent. July 5, 1909 7. Weichang (July 5, 1909). Sent Sargent a box of seeds. Rice growing takes up much of the land, but around the “small huts of the natives” you can III WP Page 5 of 14 find ulmus and poplar. Specimen collecting has gone well but hopefully the same can be said for seeds. The school-master to the Mongol Prince may help him. 8. British Legation, Peking (August 26, 1909).
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